Wake Up the Wellness Alarm Clock is Ringing

Monday, June 20, 2011

Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

I have decided that I am not weird or normal. Rather I am awake. On my plane ride to EPOC Omaha I got into an in depth discussion with the two gentlemen, Phil and William, in my row. They were both at two different places, Phil was newly diagnosed with Celiac and wanting to get into wellness and William was under chiropractic care and living the wellness lifestyle. We had an awesome conversation for the short 1-hour flight. Toward the end of conversation William told me that he loves meeting people who lives a lifestyle similar to his. I told him I wrote a bog about this exact topic where I questioned if a wellness lifestyle was really weird or was it normal. He responded it’s neither; we are just awake. I immediately wrote it down and told him that is exactly what we are. We are awake.

Dictionary.com defines awake as to “wake up, to rouse up, and to come or bring to an awareness; become cognizant.” As an example it states: “she awoke to the realities of life”. Wow, to awake to the realities of life. I know that is what I did. What many may not know is that I was raised in the medical model. I thought being sick was normal and that drugs and surgery were a must. Honestly until I entered chiropractic school and met my boyfriend at the time I thought people who lived the current chiropractic and wellness lifestyle I live were weird.

I can honestly say that my ex-boyfriend woke me up! Very few people will say a positive thing about an ex let alone acknowledge them for waking them up to the power of wellness and chiropractic. I can remember meeting Ryan when he was an intern and I was his patient. During our visits he would question the medical paradigm I was under and the medi-practor belief system I had about chiropractic. We definitely did not see eye to eye. Once he released me from his care and we started dating he began to educate me and inundate me with information. Truthfully I thought he was crazy but cute and an amazing person. So, I began to try to see his points and began to educate myself. Throughout the years we dated I learned so much and I can honestly say I am the chiropractor I am today because of Ryan and his love of chiropractic.

Before meeting Ryan I was asleep. Dictionary.com defines asleep as “in or into a state of sleep, into a dormant or inactive state; to rest, into the state of death”. Wow, into the state of death! Exactly where I was headed. I was on multiple antacids, taking a combination of prescription, over the counter, and Rolaids to get by all under the direction of my medical doctor. Year after year I was getting sicker and sicker and told that the goal was to stave off surgery for the multiple ulcers for as long as possible. And that is exactly what happened from about twelve to twenty-one. At 21 years old I woke up. And thank God, sickness is not exactly the slumber that allows one to rest and heal as sleep is meant to do.

Since William Merrill reminded me I am not weird I am awake I have been looking around and a lot of people are sleeping. Sleep walking, which makes it even more dangerous. I got my wake up call in 2002 when I met Ryan. I am so thankful that he shared the story with me and held my hand as I transitioned from my deep sleep and slowly gained back my life. I am forever grateful that he woke me up. The majority of the world needs a wake up call. Their alarm has been ringing but comfortable in their sleepy state they keep hitting the snooze button. Just like hitting the snooze button can make you late for work or cause you to miss a ride the same holds true in the terms of health. Staying in the comfortable slumber of the medical paradigm may hold you back from living your life or even worse end your life. It’s time to wake up there is a life out there worth living and your loved ones want to experience it with you!